Hmm. Robots & Rapiers, although I haven't strictly played it yet. (But I wants to, my precious, yes.) And I was struck by My Life with Master, which held its own in actual play. Heartwrenching, it was.

Definitely My Life With Master. I think this was my hands down favorite this year.Sword and Sorcerer, which turned me on to some great fiction.Sex and Sorcery.Oddly, Dark Inheritance. Uses d20, which I don't favor, and has the Too Much Stuff Syndrome. But it had a bunch of cool ideas I can use, and it has a decent explanation of why certain features are there. (Or maybe that came from the guy selling it -- either way, I like getting the explanation.)I, Mordred -- I did my dissertation on modern Arthuriana, and this was a lot of fun to read.Deliria, the most gorgeous item in the GenCon Exhibit Hall.Fates Worse than Death -- still reading this one. Absurd, absurd premises, but tons of cool, cool stealable stuff.To Go -- damned good supplement for UA, which I want both to run straight and to steal bits of for my current game.Shadow Knight -- Lots of interesting stuff about the Zelazny characters as if they were being run as PCs, with insights into the decisions the players made. I don't agree with everything, but it makes me think.2nd edition Tribe 8 Players Handbook, which actually explains the friggin metaplot

Definite turn off -- recent Chaosium CoC products with gratuitous bugs. I'm an arachnaphobe and not fond of other insects. I don't object to bug pictures when it's got something to do with the scenario or setting, but it doesn't. It's especially heinous in the new Kingsport, which isn't supposed to have that kind of atmosphere.

Anything written by Ron Edwards. The man is a genius at setting up "templates" in the guise of RPGs which allow you to graft ideas onto them and use the games as engines of creation. The mark of genius: in no way do they seem (nor are they) the least bit "generic"; these games have certain styles and ideas built into them on a genetic level, which almost subliminally direct and keep the games on track. As far as his efforts to expand what RPGs can do and be in their own right, Ron is the Harlan Ellison of roleplaying. Sorcerer and Trollbabe are the best examples of this. The only other game I've seen come close is Heroquest.

Paul Czege's My Life with Masterand Nicotine Girls display how you can mine gold out of a narrow focus (Minions of a cruel Master, young economically-challenged women trying to pursue their dreams) and create diverse, rich characters and play. What at first seems almost like rules for a boardgame yields surprising diversity. That is Paul's patented brand of genius, although to be fair, Zak Arnston's game Heavy Metal Opera gives Paul a run for the patent.

Legends of Alyria and Talislanta, two wildly different games, show you what fantasy gaming is all about: passion and imagination. These games are so brilliant in their own ways that you'd have to be totally disconnected from them to have a bad game playing them, their brilliance and enthusiasm is that contagious. (And I eagerly await Legends making it to full print status.)

Deliria, by Phil Brucato, is the game he always wanted to make, and it shows. Love of subject, broad in scope, a baroque and colorful sandbox to play in and lose yourself for hours. Yes, the mechanics are a little too loose in some places, but Phil always was one for letting the needs of the Drama supersede structure, and I can't help but forgive him. It's the same feeling that The Last Exodus gave me.

If I make one game as good as any of these, I'll consider myself worthy.